Verification testing to confirm VO 2 max attainment in persons with spinal cord injury.

Context/Objective: Maximal oxygen uptake (VO ₂ max) is a widely used measure of cardiorespiratory fitness, aerobic function, and overall health risk. Although VO ₂ max has been measured for almost 100 yr, no standardized criteria exist to verify VO ₂ max attainment. Studies document that incidence of 'true' VO ₂ max obtained from incremental exercise (INC) can be confirmed using a subsequent verification test (VER). In this study, we examined efficacy of VER in persons with spinal cord injury (SCI).
Design: Repeated measures, within-subjects study.
Setting: University laboratory in San Diego, CA.
Participants: Ten individuals (age and injury duration = 33.3 ± 10.5 yr and 6.8 ± 6.2 yr) with SCI and 10 able-bodied (AB) individuals (age = 24.1 ± 7.4 yr).
Interventions: Peak oxygen uptake (VO ₂ peak) was determined during INC on an arm ergometer followed by VER at 105 percent of peak power output (% PPO).
Outcome Measures: Gas exchange data, heart rate (HR), and blood lactate concentration (BLa) were measured during exercise.
Results: Across all participants, VO ₂ peak was highly related between protocols (ICC = 0.98) and the mean difference was equal to 0.08 ± 0.11 L/min. Compared to INC, VO ₂ peak from VER was not different in SCI (1.30 ± 0.45 L/min vs. 1.31 ± 0.43 L/min) but higher in AB (1.63 ± 0.40 L/min vs. 1.76 ± 0.40 L/min).
Conclusion: Data show similar VO ₂ peak between incremental and verification tests in SCI, suggesting that VER confirms VO ₂ max attainment. However, in AB participants completing arm ergometry, VER is essential to validate appearance of 'true' VO ₂ peak.